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Two Historic Camden Properties to be Renovated and Reactivated by Rutgers

CAMDEN
-- The Rutgers Board of Governors
approved two renovation projects in Camden during its regularly scheduled
meeting on the Rutgers–Camden campus on Friday, Dec. 14.

The board
approved a $4.5 million renovation of 305 Cooper Street, which will be
transformed into a Writers House on the Rutgers–Camden campus. The property is on the National Register of
Historic Places and is known for its striking construction in the American Queen
Anne revival style by renowned Philadelphia architect Wilson Eyre Jr. in 1885. The building often is referenced in its
historical context as the Henry Genet Taylor House named for the doctor who
commissioned Eyre to design the structure.

Rutgers will
maintain the historic accuracy of the building during the renovation, which
will conclude in July 2015. Significant
historical features, such as windows, flooring, doors, moldings, and
fireplaces, will be restored. The
existing building is 6,685 gross square feet; an addition complimentary in
design to the original structure will add 4,320 square feet.

When
finished, 305 Cooper Street will become a Writers House that will serve
students enrolled in the Rutgers–Camden undergraduate and master’s English
programs, as well as the master of fine arts in creative writing program, by
providing them with a space to encourage the development of their creative work. The building will host public readings by
visiting authors from around the world, as well as aspiring local writers, and
will provide office space for the Department of English.

Additionally,
the Rutgers Board of Governors approved a $2.5 million renovation of 312 Cooper
Street, which will transform the former headquarters for the American Red Cross
of Camden County into a Rutgers Alumni House.

Ownership of
the 8,015 square-foot structure transferred to Rutgers when the university took
possession of 330 Cooper Street, the newly constructed, 12-story student
residential facility, earlier in 2012. A
1,150 square-foot addition will be added to provide an elevator. Construction is expected to be completed in
April 2014.

The property
is made up of two earlier buildings united by a single brick façade. The western side of the building is an original,
early nineteenth-century residence in the Federal style and has been
classified as historical. Rutgers will
work to preserve the historical characteristics of the facility throughout the
renovation process.

When
completed, the Rutgers Alumni House will provide a gathering spot for all
Rutgers graduates, including the approximately 44,000 graduates of
Rutgers–Camden. The building also will
provide spaces for the alumni relations and development offices at the campus.

“These
renovation projects will transform both Rutgers–Camden and our host city,” says
Rutgers–Camden Chancellor Wendell E. Pritchett.
“We will bring two important pieces of Camden history back to life in a
way that will honor our city’s rich history and attract more people to our
campus, and the increased number of visitors will add vitality to Camden’s
University District.”

The
construction process for both buildings will begin during the summer of 2013.
Neither facility currently is in use by Rutgers.

For the fifth consecutive year, Rutgers University–Camden has been named a Military Friendly School by Victory Media, publisher of G.I. Jobs magazine. The honor recognizes the university as one of the elite post-secondary schools for student veterans in the nation.

As anyone who has been near the heart of any of the Rutgers University Campuses this month knows, it is the human element that makes them feel so vibrant and alive. You can feel the energy. It starts with our students—with more than 67,000 undergraduate and graduate students now at Rutgers.

From historic RCA Victor recordings to the soundtracks of daily life, the Rutgers–Camden Center for the Arts will showcase the rich, audible heritage of its host city as it presents the exhibition “Sounds of Camden.”